Berry-box.



No. 707,866. Patented Aug. 26, I902.

C. B. PROGTDB.

BERRY BOX.

(Application flled May 6, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. PROCTOR, OF INDIANOLA, IOiVA.

BERRY-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 707,866, dated August26, 1902.

Application filed May 6,1901.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. PROCTOR, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Indianola, \Varren county, Iowa, have inventedImprovements in Berry Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to simplify the construction, improve the efficiency, andreduce the cost of boxes made of sheet material and specially adaptedfor marketing berries placed therein for protection and sale in smallquantities.

Heretofore a piece of sheet material has been provided with a transverseslot in one of its end portions and its other end with an extensionadapted to enter the slot for retaining the two ends connected. The twoends of a piece of rigid sheet material have also been dovetailedtogether. The wall of a box formed of a single piece of sheet materialhas also been provided with a fixed bottom made of a single piece ofsheet material; but in no instance have the ends of a wall been shapedand detachably connected and a bottom made of a single piece detachablyconnected with the wall to produce a complete box that could be takenapart and the wall and the bottom folded flatupon each other,ascontemplated by my invention,which consists in the peculiar constructionof the ends of the wall and the manner of detachably connecting thebottom with the wall, as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of a foursided box in which the wall and the bottomhaving reinforcin g-pieces are detachably connected, so they can beseparated and folded flat in overlying position to economize space instoring and shipping. Fig. 2 shows the end portions of the wall adaptedto be detachably connected, and in juxtaposition therewith is thedetached bottom, that has integral extensions adapted to overlie andreinforce two of the parallel sides of the box. Fig. 3 shows the pieceof material adapted to form the Wall of a box spread out flat, asrequired in packing and shipping the material in readiness for beingutilizedfor making a berry-box advantageously. Fig. 4. shows a slightmodification of the slotin one end and the T-head at the other end ofthe parts that Serial No. 58,948. (No model.

are adapted to be detachably connected as required to serve as the wallof a berry-box. Fig. 5 shows the sheet adapted to produce the wall bentinto shape as required to produce a cylindrical box.

The numeral 10 designates the piece of sheet material adapted to producethe main Vertical portion or wall of a box that may vary in size asdesired. It is quadrangular in shape, as shown in Fig. 4, and speciallyadapted for detachably connecting its ends. In the central part of oneend of the piece is an open slot 11, extended inward from the edge ofthe piece and the inner end of the slot extended laterally and enlargedtoproduce shoulders 12 and 13, adapted to engage a T-head extension 14,formed on the other end, in such a manner that the said head can bereadily slipped into the open slot 11 to engage the shoulders 12 and 13for securely and detachably connecting the ends of the sheet 10 asrequired to produce the main upright portion or wall of the box. By thusforming a T-head at one end of the body portion and an open slot at itsother end that is enlarged at its inner portion .the two ends can bereadily connected as required to prevent any lateral motions relative toeach other, and consequently no lugs are required at the side edges ofthe piece, as heretofore, to prevent lateral movement and separation ofthe ends of the piece. A blank is thus produced that allows the two endsto be advantageously interlocked as required to produce a wall withoutany extraneous fastening devices, that can be readily opened and laidout flat.

The sheet adapted to serve as the bottom of the box and to reinforce theWall consists of the central part 15, fitted in size to enter the bottomportion of the Wall, and integral extensions 16 and 17 at its endsadapted to overlie the inside faces of two of the parallel sides or endsof the wall to reinforce them and stiffen the box, so that a pluralityof filled boxes can be placed in tiers in a crate in such a manner thatthe lower ones will not be crushed by the weight of the upper ones.

To detachably connect the top ends of the parts 16 and 17, that areintegral with the bot tom 15, I fasten hooks 18, made of thin sheetmaterial, to the central portions of the ends by means of cement or inany suitable way,

so that the hooks can hang on the top edges of two of the parallel partsof the Wall, as shown in Fig. 1. It is obvious such books may be formedintegral with the parts 16 and 17 to serve as means for securely anddetachably connecting the bottom and its reinforcing extensions with thewall of the box.

Having thus described the construction and combination of the distinctparts, the novelty and utility of my invention will be readilyunderstood by persons familiar with the art to which it pertains, and

What I claim as new, and desire to secure 7 by Letters Patent, is

A box made of sheet material consisting of a piece or plate of uniformWidth that has an open slot at one end and the slot widened at CHARLESB. PROOTOR.

Witnesses:

W. H. BERRY, W. A. OLIVER.

